Traffic gate



1952 .1. c; STAFFORD 2,616,195

TRAFFIC GATE Filed Jan. 10, 1949 x llllln/lllllllllllllpglgg M! IN VE/V 7'08 '2 4 John 0. Stafford I By Attorney Patented Nov. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE '1 The present invention relates to traflic gates and particularly to improvements in the Traffic Control Gate disclosed in Patent 2,137,193 issued tome on .November 15, 1938.

I have found that traffic gates of :the type 3 disclosed in the above identified patent involve conditions dangerous 'to the "traffic controlled and the operator of the :gate since they v:proyide no means to safeguard :against accidental or unintended .dropping :of ithefbarrier or injury to the operator during operation io'f the barrier.

Accordingly, itis ..a primary object-16f the invention to provideaitrafiic'gatezof the kind .disclosed in the-aforesaid patent-by providing safeguards for locking the barrier and shielding parts which'may cause injury to-the operator.

Another object of the invention late-provide a traflio gate of the aforesaid character having means for positively locking the barrier in its raised position.

Still another object of the invention is t provide guard elements disposed so as to minimize the danger of injury in the open jaw between the descending barrier bearer and its support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a guard element at the handle part of the gate to protect the hands gripping the handle from injury.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description progresses.

In the accompanyin drawing which discloses a preferred example of the invention:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the gate in operative position with the outer parts of the barrier slats broken away.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the same with the gate shown in inoperative raised position in broken lines and one of the guard plates partly broken away.

Figure 3 is an end elevation looking along line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the support section of the gate.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout, It) generally designates the support section of the gate. This section embodies a cylindrical normally vertical socket ll designed to be rotatably fitted on the upper partvof an upstanding post, mounted, for example, in a position near the intersection of two streets, and

removably held on :the 313,081; :by set screws :12 adapted to eng ge an annu1ar groove in the P981). At the upper end ;of socket -I-l a-constricted neck l3 on the exterior of which isahorizontailly protruding lug M provided -with a threaded ppening I5 and in which is fitted a vertically adjustable screw 16. .Above neck [:3 is formed a channel shaped bed i the :side walls 1:8 10f which areprolongedto vprovide :a pair .-of parallel horizontally elongated vertical aears 1:9.

On :support section .10 is imounted .-:a bearer section 2.5 embodying :a tubular body v2.6 coonnected, .by :means ;of a "pivot :pin :2?! extended therethrough and :through openings 28,10 the ears 19. Fixed to Aopposed sides POf zbodyzfizm'e a .zpair 10f upstanding corresponding :sockets 29 in the :form of .flat .ThOW''WingS of rectangular configuration having their outer ends open and terminating in a plane coincident with the outer open end of the body. The outer side wall of each socket 29 has a large opening 30 formed therein. A U-shaped rib 3| joining the inner walls of the wing socket with body 26 advantageously reinforces their connection. The wing sockets receive therein the inner end parts of a pair of barrier slats 32 so that the slats are parallel with the axis of the tubular body.

To the outer bottom marginal wall part of each wing socket 29 is secured, as by machine screws 33, a guard panel 34 embodying 9. rectangular rigid plate dependin from the socket and of such size as to close the sides of the open jaw between the top of bed IT and the bottom of tubular body 26 when section 25 is swung upward to raise the barrier. serve to protect the operator and others in close proximity to the gate from injury when the barrier is lowered.

The means for locking the barrier in raised position comprise a locking member carried on the bearer section 25 and cooperable with the ears of the support section to assume resiliently biased manually releasable locking position. In the embodiment illustrated the locking member is in the form of a T-bar 36 having, at the inner end of a body stem 31, a tubular cross element 38 fitted transversely between the sockets 29 and pivotally attached thereto by a bolt 39 extended through tubular element 38 and openings in the barrier slats 32 to also fasten the latter. At its outer end the T-bar has a longer cross bar 40 extended across the outer rounded ends of ears l9 and held against the ears H! by a coil spring 4| looped about the fixed socket H and under Thus, the plates handle abuts has an annular guard flange 46 to preclude accidental sliding of the hands inward on the handle and pinching the same between the T-bar and the ears or the pivot connection.

To raise the barrier from its approximately horizontal operative traffic controlling position to an elevated inoperative position, the handle 44 is swung downward, as shown in Figure 2, thereby causing cross bar 40 of the T-bar to slide over the semi-circular ends of ears [9. When the barrier bearing section 25 attains its completely raised position cross bar 40 will reach a position at the undersides of ears l9 and firmly lock the bearer against downward movement. To release the bearer section for lowering the barrier the operator initially pulls the free end of the T-bar toward the handle and against the tension of spring 4|, freeing cross bar 40 of its locking action.

By such automatic locking of the bearer with relation to the support section of the gate accidental or unintended dropping of the barrier and its attendant danger is positively avoided. The panels 34 and flange 46 provide effective safeguards against the pinching of the hands or other parts during movement of the barrier.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not 4 limited to that which is shown in the drawing and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a trafiic gate having a support member provided with a pair of spaced apart ears, a barrier bearing member pivotally connected to said ears for swinging abarrier from substantially horizontal to upraised position and return, and a spring biased locking element pivotally mounted on the bearing member and engaging said ears to automatically lock the bearing member when the barrier is raised to its extreme upward position.

2. A traflic gate as claimed in claim 1 wherein said locking element is caused to slide upon curved end parts of said ears by the tension of a manually releasable spring attached to said element and looped about said support member.

JOHN CONRAD STAFFORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

